Rear view mirror



June 7, 1938. P. E. STONE REAR VIEW MIRROR Filed Feb. 2o. 193e @gf/'5 @dei Jij/azie w vm.

.Patenterlfjune 1938 REAR. VIEW MIRROR' PorterE. Stone, Detroit, Mich. 'Y Application February 20, 1936, Serial No. 64,819

1 claim. 4(ci. 'sssa) This f inventionv relates to a rear view 'mirror "and more particularly to a mirror which is adapted for use on the outside of an automotive-vehicle. A rear view.mirror on the outside of an automotive vehicle is not broadly new. However,

it has heretofore been customary to mount the outside rear view mirror on the windshield pillar or the door hinge at the. forward4 vertical edge i of the` door, which positioned the mirror an ap- Apreciable distance ahead of the observer which.

in most cases is the driver.' Due to this considerable distance between the eyes of the driver and the mirror it has been necessary to make the mirror relatively large, for example, most of these outside rear view mirrors have been circular and about six inches in diameter. A mirror six inches rin diameter causes an appreciable blind spot for the driver .and also sets up appreciable wind noises; especially at high speeds. u

Among the objects of this invention may be mentioned the following: to produce a rear view mirror which will give an unobstructed view of the traffic in back of the vehicle and yet provide an unobstructed view for thedriver of the trac in front of the driver. thus making the operation of the vehicle more safe; to produce an outside rear view mirror which has an especially large range of vision for a relatively small size oompared to the outside rear view mirrors now in use; to produce an outside rear view mirror in which the reflection of head lights or sunlight is diffused thereby cutting down the Aglare to which thev driver is subjected; to produce a rear view outside mirror that will permit a change of position of the driver or passenger and which will permitv passengers of different size to use the same mirror in the vsame position without any adjustment of the mirror being necessary; to produce an outside rear View mirror that will not be aected by I mounted; to produce a mirror vthat is relatively inconspicuous due to its small size.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of an automotive vehicle body with an outside rear View mirror.

Fig. 2 is a detail of the mirror assembly.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the ball and-socket connection between the mirror and its supporting bracket.

Fig. 5 shows-a modified form of mbunupg the l mirror on the body.

vReferring more particularly to the drawing there is shown an automotive vehicle having a front door l and a window opening closed by a sliding panel 2 and a swinging panel 3, which is vcommonly known as afnodraft window. The

automotive .vehicle which is shown is a coupe.

Therefore, it has one full-width seat 4 which may be denoted as the drivers seat. It is, of course, appreciated that this mirror is primarily intended for the drivers use, although it can be used for passengers both in the front seat as well as those in the rear seat. Howevenwhether used with a. front seat or a rear seat, the mirror necessarily must be mounted within a predetermined range of the observerto obtain the objects ofthe invention set forth above.

. As herein shown the rear, view mirror com-k prises a convex glass 5 which preferably is a portion of the surface of a true` sphere with the con- .vex side addressed to or facing the driver or oh- I server of the mirror. However; the mirror, if def' sired, can have a cylindrical or otherwise curved surface, the point being thatthe mirror should be so formed that a greater range of reflection will be had, that is, provide a greater lrange of vision for the observer or driver than a Hat mir'-v ror of the same size without unduly distorting the; reflected image. f

"Phe mirror 5 is Vfixed in a 1 terminating in a ball 8. The ball 8 engages in a'spherical socket provided in the bracket 9 and plate I0. The plate I0 is secured to the bracket 9 by the screws Il which may be turned case 6 having a stud` down to vary the frictional' engagement inthe ball and socket joint.

The mirror 5 preferably is mounted on the outside ofthe body at the side of thev driver. Thus the mirror can be-mounted between the front face 2i) of the seat back and the front face 2i of the seat bottom and abouteven with-the front 2l of the seat, the mirror will give a good rear View. Howeven'the mirror can be positioned anywhere on the outside of the body from a position just forward of the driver's eyes to a positionapproximately even with 'the front vertical edge or front end of the window. In any case this zone within which the mirror is mounted, will also fall between the front and rear vertical edges of the window opening. y

As 'herein shown the mirror 5 is mountedby hooking the bracket 9 over the trough |2 above the Ventilating window4 and slightly to the rear of the 'rear edge of the Ventilating window to permit it to swing out and by securing the bracket to thetrough I2 by a turned down screw I3.

y It willbe'noted that the ball stud 1 is mounted eccentrically on the mirror. This. ,in conjunccuts down the air noises. One of the theories tion with the b all and socket 'joint between the mirror and the bracket' 9, permits the mirror to be adjusted very readily and in innumerable pot '.sitions including the position wherein the edge '-of the mirror abuts the window glass. However,

due to the convexityofthe mirror and the fact that itis positioned so close to the eyesof the l driver, afteronce being properly positioned the driver can shift his position or another driver of a dilerent size can occupy the drivers seat with- 'out necessitating any further adjusting of the mirror. l

The preferred overall diameter of the mirror VI and mounting frame` 6 isabout two inches.

'Ihis diameter can. be increased or decreased somewhat without impairing the utility of the 'mirror and yet achieve the objects ofthe invention above enumerated. A mirror only two inches I v in diametergives the observer or driver a range of vision anda clarity of image equal, if not better, than that provided with a Aiiat mirror six inches in diameter mounted on the windshield pillar or front door hinge, which is a considerablevdistance forward of the eyes of the driver.

'I'he mirror need not necessarily be mounted on the door or on the trough. 'I'here are numerous places in which the mirror might be mounted and yet fall within-the range of position in n proximity to the eyes of the `driver as above described. Another fof these mounting positions is -shown vin Fig. 5. As herein shown the mirror '6 is supported upon a bracket Il connected to the mirror case 6 by a ball and socket joint the same as that aboveV described. 'Ihe bracket M projects upwardly in the channel provided for the sliding window 2 between the reveal l5 and the l garnish molding I6. In other words, the bracket I4 is 'riveted or otherwise secured to what may be designated as the door header I1.

It will'be noted, particularly in Fig. 5, that the mirror I can be mounted so that it is in contact with an inch or two of the outside face of the window glass. This mounting of the mirror 5 immediately adjacent the outside window or `outside of the vehicle body appreciably advanced in explanation oi' this'result is that air immediately adjacent; that is,v within oneor y two inchesof the outside, of the body, is practically q*uiet,vthat is, the b ody builds its own streamv line formation.

Therefore,l by mounting the mirror within this quiet air zonefno noise creating air eddies are set up by the mirror.

It will be noted, as shown in Fig. 5, that the mirror lies almost entirelywithin the outer edge y23' of the window opening. Since the mirror 5 is mounted rin the window opening almost en'- tirely within the outeredge of the vehicle body,y this prevents the mirror from setting up any` rear view mirror, bracket means attached to the vehicle body at the upper horizontal edge of the window opening and attached to said mirror for positioning the mirror on the outside of the. glass in al predetermined area below the top edge and above the bottom edge ofthe window opening and between the approximate vertical planes of the front face of the seat bottom and thefront face of th seat back, the said bracket means being adapted for positioning the mirror with at least. a portion of the mirror in the inset between the windowglass and the outer edge of the body whereby the rear view mirror is positioned to one side and slightly forward but close to the eyes of the-person occupying the said seat and therefore does not obstruct the front view ofthe said person and gives a rear view equal in scope to that of a larger mirror positioned forwardly of the above described area.

' PORTER. E. STONE. 

